A New Chapter for Adasina: Transitioning to Employee Ownership

Written by Maya Philipson, Adasina Co-Founder, Chief Operations Officer & Chief Compliance Officer

At Adasina, staff are not just colleagues — they are a key part of our Beloved Community and the reason we exist. From the beginning, Adasina’s Founder & Co-CEO, Rachel J. Robasciotti, and I have believed that capital is a transformative social justice tool, not only in the markets where we invest, but inside our own organization as well. 

Our team reflects a wide cross-section of the communities for whom we seek justice, including people who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women and gender expansive, and from non-dominant, resource-scarce backgrounds. That is why I am so proud to share today that Adasina is transitioning to broad-based employee ownership, with the goal of becoming employee-owned in 2026. When a team as diverse as ours shares in ownership, it is not only a sound business decision — it is a concrete way to shift power and wealth toward communities historically excluded from both. While some may see this as an act of generosity, we see it differently. We see it as a recognition that the wealth created here belongs with the people who built this firm with their skill, dedication, love, and persistence. 

This transition, designed to be accessible to our team, will be subsidized, and employees are not expected to “buy in” on top of the years of sweat equity they have already invested. This shift also marks a milestone we have been working toward from the very beginning of Adasina; aligning ownership with contribution to make Adasina the most stable, resilient company it can be, and to do our part to build a more just economy where those closest to the work share in the value they create. At the industry level, we hope this transition acts as a model for our impact investing peers curious about employee ownership.

Our lived experiences in non-dominant communities have taught us that real security comes from each other, not from individual account balances. Moving to employee ownership is one way we refuse to replicate the same wealth-divided system we work against in our investing and instead model what we practice –  power-sharing, healing, and fairness. Real change starts at home.

As we mark Adasina’s fifth anniversary and step into this next chapter, we are deeply grateful for the people — past and present — who make this beloved community what it is. Thank you for walking alongside us.  We look forward to sharing more about this transition and what it makes possible for our team and our broader community in the year ahead.

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